Please use your vote.

[Leekbrookgull]

Quite simply do what you want with it,eat it,play noughts and crosses,spoil it,even vote for a candidate. Yet please just use it as for me not to do so is an insult to those who paid the ultimate price for us to be able to vote. Thanks.

 

[Is it PotG?]

 

[SeagullinExile]

Quite simply do what you want with it,eat it,play noughts and crosses,spoil it,even vote for a candidate. Yet please just use it as for me not to do so is an insult to those who paid the ultimate price for us to be able to vote. Thanks.

With respect. Didn't those people win us the right to have the choice of whether we vote or not?

 

[Machiavelli]

With respect. Didn't those people win us the right to have the choice of whether we vote or not?

No. That's an individualistic logic. A democratic logic insists that you're a citizen and not an individual, and that requires that you do certain things that supersede choice.

 

[Triggaaar]

spoil it

I'm liking this option. Is that an acceptable use to those that fought for our rights to vote?

 

[SK1NT]

Quite simply do what you want with it,eat it,play noughts and crosses,spoil it,even vote for a candidate. Yet please just use it as for me not to do so is an insult to those who paid the ultimate price for us to be able to vote. Thanks.

Agree... and don't vote Tory

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Quite simply do what you want with it,eat it,play noughts and crosses,spoil it,even vote for a candidate. Yet please just use it as for me not to do so is an insult to those who paid the ultimate price for us to be able to vote. Thanks.

I've never understood this viewpoint, tbh.

In what way is not attending a polling station, any more of an 'insult' to those people, than going along with the sole intention of NOT voting?

I appreciate that you might feel that none of the candidates in your constituency are worth your vote, but in what way does defacing your voting slip achieve anything?

 

[tinycowboy]

No. That's an individualistic logic. A democratic logic insists that you're a citizen and not an individual, and that requires that you do certain things that supersede choice.

Ooh, whatever happened to the "Philosophy" thread that Goldstone1976 set up a few years back? Does democratic logic necessarily require active responsibility to be taken, rather than for it just to be available? What about other democratic "rights", such as freedom of speech - do they have to be exercised? Probably not wise to start this debate - really should be getting on with some work here, and I'm sure you'll have some valid counterarguments...

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I've never understood this viewpoint, tbh.

In what way is not attending a polling station, any more of an 'insult' to those people, than going along with the sole intention of NOT voting?

I appreciate that you might feel that none of the candidates in your constituency are worth your vote, but in what way does defacing your voting slip achieve anything?

If you don't do anything, you can't complain at the outcome.

 

[Rod Marsh]

If I don't agree with any of the parties policies or I don't think any of the party leaders are capable of being PM then I wont be voting. I'm not being forced to vote.

 

[AmexRuislip]

 

[The Birdman]

Quite simply do what you want with it,eat it,play noughts and crosses,spoil it,even vote for a candidate. Yet please just use it as for me not to do so is an insult to those who paid the ultimate price for us to be able to vote. Thanks.

Well said

 

[Thunder Bolt]

A just over a third of voters eligible to vote, don't. That is a lot of votes.

http://www.votenone.org.uk/uk-unheard-third.html

 

[hans kraay fan club]

If you don't do anything, you can't complain at the outcome.

I agree with that. I'm just not sure I agree that going along and drawing a picture of a turd on your voting slip, counts as 'doing something'.

 

[AmexRuislip]

I agree with that. I'm just not sure I agree that going along and drawing a picture of a turd on your voting slip, counts as 'doing something'.

There's always a first

 

[BBassic]

I've never understood this viewpoint, tbh.

In what way is not attending a polling station, any more of an 'insult' to those people, than going along with the sole intention of NOT voting?

I appreciate that you might feel that none of the candidates in your constituency are worth your vote, but in what way does defacing your voting slip achieve anything?

Can't remember where I read this but there's an argument to be made along these lines:

Not bothering to turn up to vote indicates a certain level of apathy towards the whole democratic process but turning and purposely spoiling your ballot indicates that the problem lies with the parties on offer rather than the process. You care enough to turn up and do something but feel that none of the candidates speak for you or your values.

Something like that. Whoever wrote the article put it much more succinctly than I just did.

 

[Wrong-Direction]

Can't remember where I read this but there's an argument to be made along these lines:

Not bothering to turn up to vote indicates a certain level of apathy towards the whole democratic process but turning and purposely spoiling your ballot indicates that the problem lies with the parties on offer rather than the process. You care enough to turn up and do something but feel that none of the candidates speak for you or your values.

Something like that. Whoever wrote the article put it much more succinctly than I just did.

Yeah but they just put said soiled paper in the bin .

Sent from my SM-A310F using Tapatalk

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Can't remember where I read this but there's an argument to be made along these lines:

Not bothering to turn up to vote indicates a certain level of apathy towards the whole democratic process but turning and purposely spoiling your ballot indicates that the problem lies with the parties on offer rather than the process. You care enough to turn up and do something but feel that none of the candidates speak for you or your values.

Something like that. Whoever wrote the article put it much more succinctly than I just did.

I can completely see why you would feel that you'd 'made a point'. Just not that you'd made it to anyone who gave two ****s.

 

[Titanic]

Yeah but they just put said soiled paper in the bin .

Soiled? that's going a bit far!

 

[brightn'ove]

I can completely see why you would feel that you'd 'made a point'. Just not that you'd made it to anyone who gave two ****s.

The part which does 'make a point' is the final spoilt ballot count, which is counted as part of turnout. It at least partly quantifies political dissatisfaction.

On a related note, I believe voting should be compulsory.